Couple fall to their deaths while 'taking a selfie' on vacation in Portugal

The couple fell 30m from a wall at Pescadores beach in Portugal (Picture: Rex)

A British woman and an Australian man died in Portugal after falling from a 98-foot tall wall, according to authorities in the European country. The couple, who were found on the the beach at Praia dos Pescadores in the resort town of Ericeira near Lisbon, might have been taking selfies.

Police believe the woman, in her 30s, and the man, in his 40s, lost their balance and fell off the wall some time between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Tuesday. A beach cleaner discovered the pair Tuesday morning, Portuguese newspaper Correio de Manha reported.

Rescue service chief Rui Pereira da Terra told news agency Lusa: “Everything seems to indicate that the fall happened when they were probably trying to take a selfie. Since we found a mobile phone on the wall, everything suggests the victims might have been taking a selfie, when they allowed the phone to fall, leaned over to grab it and fell.”

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Office confirmed a British woman had died and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) and Trade said an Australian had lost their life.

The Foreign Office said: “We are in touch with local authorities following the death of a British woman in Portugal and stand ready to provide support to her family.”

A spokesperson for the DFAT said it was “providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Portugal.”